Long periods of peace and quiet favor certain optical illusions. Among them is the assumption that the invulnerability of the home is founded upon the Constitution and safe-guarded by it. In reality, it rests upon the father of the family who, accompanied by his sons, appears with an ax on the threshold of his dwelling. -- Ernst Junger

Friday, April 29, 2011

But these things need to get out there and people need to know what is going on.

Cops get a burglary call with a bad address. Homeowner, taken unawares, panics. Armed guest does not and draws her weapon. And one of the deputies...draws down on a circuit court judge. And then has the incredible stupidity to tell her...wait for it...

Yeah, I'm getting tired of this, and I'm angry. It just keeps happening and happening and happening, but we just get told it was "justified" because "I was fearing for my life." No the hell it isn't justified. Not in a free society. Sure the police have a crappy dangerous job, but that doesn't give them the right to go overboard just because "I'm going home tonight." If there is a different set of rules for them than for us, then none of the rules are worth a tinker's damn.

The stupid thing is that you could still have all the SWAT teams and no-knock warrants you want and still fix this. Make the officer who shoots provide some realistic evidence for being in fear of his life. You know, like I would have to if I used my gun to defend myself. How far do you think I'd get in court if all I did was say "I was scared for my life" if there was no physical evidence or witnesses to back that up? Exactly right--all the way to prison.

This country is going down so many different toilets at once that it's getting hard to hear myself think for the water gurgling.

"I am just a father who cares. I'm not a criminal, and I shouldn't be treated like one," Willis said.

Way to not learn from your mistakes. And yes, you are a criminal, idiot. You took a gun onto school property, which is a felony. So goodbye permit, goodbye gun, goodbye civil rights, hello prison time.

Next time, call the police. You aren't one; this is their job. Let them do it.

I'm still in favor of the concept that a person must have fulfilled some sort of national service requirement (a la Heinlein's Starship Troopers) or that you must own real property in excess of some significant value before you can be enfranchised. You ought to have skin in the game.